The only thing we have ever asked for as supporters of Bernie Sanders in this campaign is to have a level playing field to compare Bernie's issues stances, consistency, and track record. As the political revolution continues to build steam, increasingly some Clintonites are really getting aggressive and deliberately spreading myths that need to be debunked. We have hit stage 3 of Gandhi's progression: First they ignore you, then they mock you, then they fight you, then you win. Here are the most common myths and why they are wrong. And to my fellow Bernie supporters, remember to take the high road. When confronted with lies and hatred, turn the other cheek and respond with facts and love.

The responses below can be copied and pasted to the relevant discussion threads as need be. Feel free to change them up as you see fit. If the links are truncated on this diary, find easier to copy and paste sections at http://plus.google.com/...

Myth 1: Bernie is too far to the left.
Bernie's positions are progress oriented, absolutely, and I'm proud to support a proud progressive who has the solutions our nation needs, instead of someone who "pleads guilty" to being a moderate centrist one week, then a "progressive" the next. Every single policy position Bernie has is wildly popular with the American public, and he has been fighting for these very same reforms for 30 years, so we know he isn't just telling people what they want to hear to get elected. Here is a chart showing how well liked Bernie's progressive issues stances are http://s3.amazonaws.com/... Also, as noted in myth 2, how enthusiastic supporters are and how genuine a candidate is are very important. Robert Reich spells it out clearly here when he remembers how proud-progressive Paul Wellstone won: "voters are more interested in the integrity and authenticity of candidates than the specifics of any policies they espouse" http://plus.google.com/... Also remember that Bernie Sanders wins 25% of the Republican vote in Vermont, and is polling strongest with independents at 45% to Trump 26%, Ben Carson 19, Rand Paul 12, Clinton 9% http://ivn.us/...

Myth 2: Bernie is unelectable.
Bernie Sander has been elected to office 14 times, compared to Clinton's 2. Bernie won his last Senate campaign with ver 70% of the vote. Bernie polls better against Trump and most Republicans than Clinton does. 78% of Bernie's supporters are enthusiastic, compared to only 39% for Clinton. I need to be very, very clear about this: we will NOT have the wave election we need around the country if we allow Clinton to win the Democratic nomination. Period. In a head to head matchup, Bernie cleans up with Independents over Clinton 59-21%. http://www.nytimes.com/... They will not vote for Clinton. Only Bernie Sanders has the trustworthiness that comes from having a consistently honest 30 year track record as a progressive reformer that can inspire the yooge voter turnout we need coast to coast. Clintonites are worried that this will be like a 1972 McGovern run, but no, we are going to make this like a 1932 FDR run. Dear Hillary Supporters Wary of Sanders' Electability http://www.youtube.com/... Bernie Defeats Trump By a Wider Margin Than Clinton in a General Election http://www.huffingtonpost.com/... All the Polls Show Bernie Does Better Against GOP Than Hillary http://www.dailykos.com/...
Clinton is the unelectable candidate http://thehill.com/... Quinnipiac on Bernie: 78-6% favorability, 86-4% is honest and trustworthy , 85-5% cares about their needs and problems http://www.quinnipiac.edu/...

Myth 3: Bernie will split the vote.
No. Bernie Sanders has repeatedly said from the first day that he will support anyone who gets the Democratic nomination for President. He is not going to run as an independent. It is important to note however that a significant portion of the new people Bernie is bringing into the Democratic Party are only joining to support him. Many Green Party, 3rd Party, Independent, millennial, and eligible non-voters will bolt if Bernie does not get the nomination. We have to give them the respect to make up their own minds. Even if that happens though, a great many of them will stay and support Democrats. So even worst case scenario if Bernie doesn't win his run it is going to be very good for the Democratic Party. It will be much, much greater for the party if Bernie wins the nomination, thereby permanently expanding our ranks with a more energized, more engaged voter base. The worst thing our party can do is try to shove another center-right Democrat down the throats of its progressive base and expect everyone to be excited, like what happened with Al Gore and Joe freaking Liebermann in the Y2K election.

Myth 4: Bernie doesn't deserve our support because he isn't a Democrat.
Bernie Sanders is an Independent, but it's a really stupid reason not to support him. Bernie Sanders has caucused with the Democrats his entire congressional career spanning 34 years. He was chosen to chair the Veterans Committee by the Democrats. But most importantly, Bernie Sanders actually is closer to the Democratic Party platform than any other candidate in the race. Some Democrats are D in name only (DINO's), and act more like Republicans. The issues we stand for as Democrats are on par with the issues Bernie Sanders stands for. He is the embodiment of an FDR New Deal Democrat. The American Political Spectrum and how Dems have allowed their party to shift right http://plus.google.com/...

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Myth 5: Bernie can't get any endorsements.
Clinton's machine started to leverage their position years ago to secure early endorsements, and there have been a lot of them from the party establishment. Just like any of us, they can support whoever they want, provided it is of their own volition and no underhanded pressure is applied. I would argue however that it sends the wrong message and sets a dangeous precedent to have elected officials and upper party officers give this much support to one candidate this early. It looks like they are dictating who to back from the top-down like Republicans do, when the Democratic Party has always supposed to be from the ground-up. Any candidate should not have 1/5th (20%) of the delegates needed for nomination before one vote has been cast http://www.bloomberg.com/... You can see this in Union endorsements too. There is no greater champion of organized labor than Bernie Sanders, but some union boards have already endorsed Clinton (AFT, NEA) much to the disappointment of their membership http://www.latimes.com/... The NEA Endorsed Without Input From Members http://gadflyonthewallblog.wordpress.com/... And Bernie Sanders has some important endorsements too, like Raúl Grijalva, Keith Ellison, Ready For Warren, National Nurses United, Occupy Wall Street (first ever endorsement for anyone), Progressive Democrats of America, South Carolina AFL-CIO, Friends of the Earth, Dr. Cornel West, Glenn Greenwald, Ed Schultz, and a wide range of cultural leaders like Wil Wheaton, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, David Crosby, Flea, Steve Wozniak, Jello Biafra, Jackson Browne, Danny DeVito, Susan Sarandon, Sarah Silverman, Lizz Winstead, and hundreds more http://berniesanders.com/...http://feelthebern.org/...

Myth 6: Debates don't matter.
The hell they don't. After the first Republican debate Ben Carson shot up in the polls and is now just barely behind the front runner, Trump. Carly Fiorina was at the kids table, but resonated with Republicans so much that she is now a top tier candidate in 5th place. Debates can have dramatic effects. Former Clinton campaign co-chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz unilaterally dictated that there would only be 6 Democratic debates, only 4 before the first vote, they would take place on days when people were less likely to watch them, and that they would start so late that the establishment front runner could consolidate support before anyone actually had a chance to get to know the other candidates. To compare, there were 13 by mid October 2007, they started in April, and there ended up being 26 total. To add insult to injury, there is a new Exclusion rule saying that any candidate that participates in any non-DNC sanctioned debates would not be able to participate in any of the DNC debates. My full explanation of why the debate process is un-Democratic and rigged: http://plus.google.com/... and Martin O'Malley's excellent speech denouncing DWS for stifling debates (watch it) http://www.c-span.org/...

Myth 7: Clinton won the debate.
I think the misunderstanding here is how one defines "won". Yes, Clinton was more polished, had sharper responses, and had a solid tone/posture. She had the best debate preparers money can buy, so was well prepared whereas Bernie came in cold. In that sense she won. So why did every focus group and online poll say Bernie won? Why was there a surge of donations to Bernie's campaign since ($3.2 million in small donations in 48 hours)? Bernie FINALLY got a national stage to share his vision for a better America, something he has been consistently fighting for for over 30 years now. And people really liked what they heard, even if Bernie wasn't as sharp or polished as Clinton. It was the content of the message and the integrity of the messenger that were important. In that sense, Bernie Sanders clearly won. Bernie Sanders Won the Debate, and Perhaps the Election, When He Defended Clinton http://www.huffingtonpost.com/... 71% of those that claimed Clinton won didn't even watch the debate http://www.scribd.com/...

Myth 8: Bernie is weak on foreign policy.
It's not "weak" to say that war should be our last option. It's not weak to demand that wars of choice are paid for before we engage in them. It's not weak to declare that benefits our veterans have earned be given to them once they return home and try to claim them. What's weak is for chickenhawks to invade the wrong country, then to send others' kids to war, but not their own. Bernie didn't fall for the very obvious lies of the Bush regime and vote to invade Iraq, Clinton did. All of that supposed intel "the rest of us" never saw about weapons of mass destruction never existed, and anyone that voted for that war does not have the leadership skills to be president. You don't have to be a warmongering chickenhawk who wants to blow between $1.2-$1.4 trillion annually on military-related expenditures http://www.truth-out.org/... (Dept of Defense plus other parts hidden in other departments) to be sure America has a strong defensive posture to protect itself, and to actually take care of our men and women in uniform once they come home. That's about as much as the rest of the world combined. https://en.wikipedia.org/... Bernie has been a huge advocate for veterans. http://berniesanders.com/...http://feelthebern.org/... and he fought for our Veterans http://www.politico.com/... Vets For Bernie: Why the Most Anti-War Candidate Has Many Military Supporters http://www.alternet.org/...

Myth 9: Bernie is a gun nut.
This one always cracks me up. Yes, the NRA endorsed Bernie during his first run for Congress. You got us. They were so pissed off at the incumbent Democrat that they endorsed his most viable political opponent: Bernie. Since then, the NRA has given him F and D- ratings. Bernie supports a federal ban on assault weapons, instant background checks (including at gun shows), and a nationwide ban on high-capacity magazines of over ten rounds. But yeah, you got us, he's not as far to the left on this one particular issue, and it's funny that you accuse Bernie of being too far to the left everywhere else, but on this suddenly you criticize him for it. For those who disagree with him on this, consider it his Persian Flaw. Bernie has been called a gun nut AND a gun grabber, and if both sides are attacking him this much, it might be a clue that his approach might be onto something (same goes for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict).

Myth 10: Bernie only appeals to progressive white men.
This is increasingly a favorite of some Clintonites who are adopting Karl Rove tactics to attack Bernie on his strengths in a deliberate Swiftboat style attack. They are deliberately trying to use divisive language, and it is highly offensive. Bernie has been consistently fighting for equal rights for everyone against a system of oppression, racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, and bigotry his entire life, way before it was cool or politically safe to do so. Much of the problem is that his strong stances on issues and his consistent track record just aren't known well in some communities yet (again, much of that thanks to a lack of exposure by silencing debates). Give Bernie an honest look and a fair chance based on his stances and his consistent, trustworthy track record. https://berniesanders.com/...http://feelthebern.org/

Myth 11: Bernie is not strong on LGBTQ issues.
This is a prime example of how some Clinton fans are using Rovian tactics to attack Bernie on one of his strongest points. The only criticism is that he didn't support same sex marriage in Vermont in 2006, but as he explained to Maddow, he just wanted to give time for the state's groundbreaking Civil Union law a chance to work so anti-gay tempers would cool down. http://www.youtube.com/... Bernie Sanders has a strong, bold, very extensive track record of supporting gay rights dating back 40 years . In a letter he published in the early 1970's, when he was a candidate for governor of Vermont from the Liberty Union Party, Sanders invoked freedom to call for the abolition of all laws related to homosexuality http://www.alternet.org/.... In 1983, as Mayor of Burlington, Vermont, Bernie threw in his full support for a highly controversial gay pride march in the city http://www.queerty.com/... Bernie proclaimed Gay Pride Day in Burlington 2 years later in 1985 http://www.dailykos.com/... He fought against the discriminator DOMA (that first lady Hillary Clinton supported) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/... Bernie verbally blasted a conservative bigot on the House floor who didn't want "homos in the military" https://www.youtube.com/... Bernie wanted to add full civil rights in housing, employment and public accommodation for LGBT people to the 1964 Civil Rights Act http://www.washingtonblade.com/... Clinton on the other hand called marriage a sacred bond between a man and a woman as a bedrock principle on the Senate floor in 2004. https://www.youtube.com/... She did not support Civil Unions until 2010 and LGBT Marriage Equality until 2013, and has even defended her past support for DOMA http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...